This invention relates generally to gas cooking appliances, and, more particularly, to an air-inlet assembly for a cooking appliance and cooking appliances incorporating such air inlet assemblies.
Gas fired stoves, ovens, and ranges typically include one or more gas heating units coupled to a main gas line to the appliance and providing fuel to the heating units, sometimes referred to as burners. In a domestic range, a gas line is connected to a distribution manifold within the appliance to direct gas to a plurality of surface burners on a cooktop or to baking elements within an oven cavity. Operation of the surface burners is usually accomplished with burner control knobs located on the front wall of the appliance in front of the cooktop or on the cooktop surface. Below each knob is a circular orifice, which allows air to pass down into the burner box of the cooktop. When a control knob is actuated, fuel is supplied to associated burners and an ignition module creates a spark to ignite the gas and produce a flame.
Electronic, touch-sensitive control interfaces are becoming increasingly popular in modern ranges and cooktops to control a variety of cooking elements. By implementing electronic touch controls on a gas cooktop, the opening beneath the control knobs is eliminated as a source of air for the burner box.